


"Two" | Tomtord

by gaydeerboy



Category: Eddsworld - All Media Types
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-11
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-03-17 19:54:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 16,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29356029
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gaydeerboy/pseuds/gaydeerboy
Summary: When Edd and Matt finally have had enough of Tom's drinking, they give him an ultimatum; quit or move out. If he had quit, he wouldn't be standing on Tord's doorstep now with nowhere to go. With the trauma of the past, as well as underdeveloped feelings, bubbling up, what will the two's future hold?Takes place after The End! I am aware they moved into apartments, but we're just gonna pretend like they rebuilt the house.Mature rating was given due to vulgar language, use of alcohol, addiction, abuse, PTSD, and likely more that I'm forgetting.I am not affiliated with the creators of Eddsworld nor the real-life counterparts to the characters. Due to this, I am using shortened, alternate last names in this fanfiction. Shipping real-life people without their consent is not my goal. This fanfiction is solely to be a ship between the characters and nothing more.I have uploaded this story to my Wattpad. There is chapter art on there if you are interested in viewing that! I do take commissions! :)
Relationships: Tom/Tord (Eddsworld)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 23





	1. In the Rain

"What the hell are you doing here?" came a thick Norwegian accent Tom had grown to resent. The voice held spite and resentment of its own, but Tom could have sworn there was a hint of something excited-- maybe even happy or relieved-- in it, but he decided it was better to ignore it. He dared not look up to the eyes peering down at him from the doorway as he thought of an answer.  
"I-... Edd and Matt, they..." he tried, grasping for a way to say this without sounding pathetic and desperate. "I got kicked out and I had nowhere else I could think of." His hood was up to shield his head from some of the rain, but he figured it helped to hide his face some, too. He didn't want Tord of all people to see how vulnerable he was.  
The sound of rain overthrew the silence between them while presumably, Tord thought this over. Why should I let Tom stay? In his absence, Tord had seen the events in which Tom had become a rather large beast. That could be useful in his army. Of course, he also blew up the house Tom, Edd, and Matt were all staying in, too. He kind of owed it to him, Tord supposed.  
The growth of light from the doorway was what caught Tom's attention from staring at his shoes, his hollow eyes peeking up at Tord with a sliver of hope. Tord had widened the door more and stepped aside enough for Tom to come in, but Tom was still a little hesitant. No way was it really going to be that easy.  
"You can stay for one night unless you agree to my proposition," came the catch Tom was waiting for. Tord didn't move to block the path and something in his eyes seemed more genuine than before. There was less disgust and hate, but now more concern and interest. Tom nodded and stepped inside, out of the rain.  
"What's your proposition?" Tom looked to Tord as he closed the door behind them, locking it. He didn't know if he should ask for a bathroom to dry off in yet or not. Tord stuffed his hands into his lounge pants pockets and looked Tom over with an unreadable expression as if he were studying him or trying to gauge where Tom's head was currently.  
"If you want a place to stay, become a weapon for my army. I know what you are capable of and if you want a more established settlement, I want to study you and find a way to utilize your abilities for my plans of world domination," Tord stated flatly. At least he was being transparent with Tom this time around. "You can sleep on it and give me an answer tomorrow. I understand what I am asking of you and I am acknowledging that it's a difficult decision, so I won't rush you."  
Tom gave a heavy exhale as he processed exactly what Tord was asking of him in exchange for a place to live. He didn't know what to say yet, so he gave Tord a small nod in understanding before speaking up again, "Alright. Where's your bathroom?"  
Tord directed him down a hall before leaving Tom to his own devices. Something about how Tord was being so nice was starting to etch a thread of worry into Tom's nerves as he stepped into the bathroom. Of course, this uneasiness could very well just be the remains of their last encounter.  
It wasn't a large bathroom, but it wasn't small either. Three people could comfortably hang out in it, but who would want to hang out in a bathroom? The whole room was varying shades of off-whites, likely to help make it look clean while not being overpowering. He looked to the sink to see only a singular, red toothbrush. It seemed that Tord lived alone then. At least he wasn't imposing on something that he'd have to ask another person to stay for.  
Tom sighed as he began to peel off wet clothes and hung them on the towel rack to dry off a little. He reached into the tub to start up a shower. It was time to clear his head for the night as he checked the linen closet for a spare towel.  
When Tom got out of the shower, his clothes were all gone, replaced with a plain, white T-shirt, black sweatpants, light blue boxers, and a pair of white-grey socks, all of which were folded neatly on the counter. That wasn't right, though. He hadn't heard the door open, did he? Had he even locked the door?  
Tom shook his head, as it was pretty obvious Tord was just being hospitable. After drying off with the towel he'd grabbed, he slipped into the dry clothes and hung the towel in their place. Tom took a moment to look himself over in the mirror now. His black eyes were framed from below with tired bags, fading slightly from relaxing in the shower, and his chin was riddled with a small stubble. He decided he wasn't too concerned with shaving right now.  
He took a deep breath before leaving the bathroom and making his way out into the living room. Tord wasn't there, so he decided it was alright to actually look at the house. It was tidy, but not necessarily clean. He could see a half-empty glass on the coffee table and a few candy wrappers beside it. The TV was paused on some movie Tom didn't recognize.  
Tom saw the shelves on either side of the TV, filled with DVD cases, and went over to look at what Tord had. Most of them were in another language, but he recognized the style to be anime. Some other movies were in English and, in Tom's opinion, didn't suit Tord at all. The 10 Year Plan? Alex Strangelove? Those were gay romance movies. Not that Tom's actually seen them, of course. But he kept tabs through recommendations from Edd and Matt after his coming out. If he'd gotten drunk enough, he may have looked up a bootleg online to watch it or something.  
It was then that he heard footsteps coming down the stairs that he remembered he wasn't alone in Tord's house again and stood up next to the DVD shelves. Tord came down, sure enough, and looked Tom over once he saw that he was out of the bathroom.  
"Do they fit alright?" Tord said, referring to the clothes he'd lent. Tom nodded before instinctively looking down and pulling out the end of the shirt.  
"Yeah they fit alright, thank you. Are my clothes..?"  
"In the dryer, yes. I knocked but you seemed out of it, so I didn't say anything."  
Alright, that made Tom feel a little better. Not a lot, but a little. "You live alone? I would have thought that eyebrows guy or someone was living with you. You seem close."  
Tord chuckled a bit at this, "Paul and Patryck live together, yes. And I did too for a while, but after the incident with the giant robot things got tense."  
Tom nodded before a growling sound came from Tord. It sounded froggish though, so he didn't think of it as a hostile growl. Tom impulsively gave a chuckle, earning a quirked eyebrow.  
"It's a natural sound, what are you laughing for?" Tord asked accusingly.  
"I don't mean to laugh. It just sounded funny to me was all," Tom said. He didn't know if he wanted to let his guard down and try to let old times back in or if he wanted to keep his defenses up to keep Tord from manipulating him again. However, he felt comfortable, despite it all.  
"Well, I'm going to make something to eat. When you're done being stupid, you are welcome to join me," Tord said before making his way into the kitchen.  
Tom had slept on the couch that night. He woke the next morning to silence, and a deafening one at that.  
He'd had a dream that was rather weird to him. Edd and Matt were here at Tord's house with him, but something felt wrong as if the three of them were leaving him out of some big secret. Unfortunately, that's all he could remember. He didn't think it mattered though, so he brushed it off.  
Tom took this time to himself to think about Tord's proposition last night now. He didn't know if the other was awake yet and if he was, he didn't know if Tord was out running or something.  
They'd talked a little bit about it at dinner and Tord was willing to let Tom live here with him for free if he agreed to the terms. It took a long time for him to weigh the options. He could stay here, but it'd be because he was being studied. He could decline the deal, but he'd be back out on the streets again before the night was over.  
What did he have to live for anyway, though? His two best friends didn't want him, like Hell his family would take him in, and he didn't have the money to live somewhere else. No one probably even cared much about him anymore, so if he became a superweapon for Tord's "army," at least he'd have value. Wow, that sounded lame, now that Tom thought about it.  
When Tord had come back, sweat dripping down his back and sticking his hair to his forehead from his run, Tom had his answer ready, along with some sandwiches. Of course, BLT was one of the options.  
"You been running?" Tom asked as he topped off the last of the two sandwiches.  
"Daily exercise helps to keep my mind sharp and my body ready," Tord replied quickly, closing and locking the front door before making his way to the kitchen to see what Tom was making. He then snagged the BLT Tom had made before raiding the refrigerator for a bottle of water. "Have you given thought to my proposal, Thomas?"  
Tom felt a twinge in his gut at his full name before looking to Tord and nodding, "I have, actually. And you really know how to coax people into doing what you want."  
Tord smirked a bit, "Is that a 'yes,' then?"  
Tom sighed before nodding again, "Yes, I accept your proposal."


	2. Wake Up, Thomas

Tom woke up with pain all over his head, but it was focused mostly on his eyes. He could hear a heart monitor beeping somewhere next to him but needed to take a moment to remember why he would be in proximity to one.  
 _"To start studying you, we need to get a medical file. That means blood samples and screenings for any conditions we should keep in mind such as scoliosis or asthma," Tord had explained to him before. It seemed reasonable enough since Tom was about to be used as a superweapon. Might as well have a record of his abilities and limits in case something happens.  
Turns out he had cancer in his eyes. Not the most pleasant thing to find out, but at least it was just his eyes, right? If things went belly-up, he could always learn how to live without his eyes. Tord offered to fix the cancer with the help of his army's top scientists and doctors. Tom agreed to the surgery._  
Right, that's what this was all about.  
He'd gotten surgery to remove the cancer and now he was waking up. That's why his eyes hurt so much. Tom wondered what all had been done to fix the problem. Maybe he should get up and find a mirror? It was probably in the bathroom. He sat up, causing the pain in his head to spike as his hand flew up to rub it away at the temple. Something felt... wrong... That wasn't skin, that was something hard. Was it plastic? It felt cold to the touch, so maybe metal?  
When he opened his eyes, everything was extremely overwhelming. Details were hyper-focusing and there were little crosshairs over different things he tried to focus his vision on. The crosshairs would turn to circles and zoom in on the object if he focused on it long enough. A small message would pop up on the side next to it, describing the object. He looked down at his hands to see what the description for them would be.  
 _'Thomas S. Ridge  
Self | Ally | Not a target'_  
Alright, the "target" part was a little weird, but he brushed it off as part of the "superweapon" part of the deal.  
There was a poster on the wall beside his bed, describing different muscles in the body. When he focused on the text, the circle zoomed in on each word instead of giving a description. If he stared at one word long enough, a definition would pop up instead of a description. Tom knew this was going to take some time to get used to, but he could live with this. What the hell did Tord do to him, though?  
The sound of a door opening caught his attention, his head turning a little too fast to catch who his visitor was. He winced and brought a hand up to console himself. After getting the pain to subside, for the time being, Tom looked up at his visitor to find it was Tord. Speak of the Devil, huh?  
 _'Tord A. Lars  
Red Leader | Ally | Not a target'_  
"How are you feeling, Jehovah?" Tord asked. His expression didn't show any resentment or malice, but it didn't show any concern or worry either. Tom didn't know if he found this comforting or not.  
"Head hurts, but I'm alive. What did you do to me?" Tom asked in return.  
"You had cancer, we removed it. Though, there were a few complications. Due to the biological make-up of your eyes, it was difficult to save them entirely. You still have the ability to see, but I've engineered a visor to assist your sight. I trust it's working properly?"  
Tom almost nodded before considering what that'd do to spike the pain, "Yeah, if 'everything is in high-definition and I get descriptions on everything I look at' is how it's supposed to function."  
Tord nodded, "That was the intention, yes. In a few days, if you feel ready for it, we can get you back home to adjust better before the studies can properly commence."  
"Aw, you miss me already, Sunshine?" Tom teased.  
This earned him a scoff and an eye roll, "Whatever encourages you to heal faster." Tom could have sworn he saw the slightest hint of a smile creeping onto the taller's lips then. "If you're awake though, I'll send in the nurse with food for you now."  
Tom gave a thumbs up before carefully making his way back to laying in that shitty hospital bed. Tord then left the room and the nurse came in a few minutes later.  
Tord had brought Tom's clothes to him on the final day before taking him home. It was a little surreal to think of Tord's house as a home, but Tom supposed there wasn't much else he could call it. The drive was a little overwhelming with the visor, but Tord took the opportunity to tell Tom that he could take it off if it was too much.  
"What exactly is this visor thing? Just glasses with some lame tech in them?" Tom had asked. His leg was bouncing from the overstimulation.  
Tord, of course, noticed this and made a mental note that something similar to physical therapy to help Tom better adjust to the visor should be put in place. "Due to the reasoning behind the visor being given to you, we implanted snaps into your temples, so you can remove them if it's too much to handle in the car for now. It keeps it on your head, regardless of how much movement your head goes through. They are designed to look like cool sunglasses, so the average person won't look at them suspiciously," he said. For some reason, Tom didn't mind the idea of having snaps on his head to clip a visor on his face.  
"That'll make showering easier then, I suppose. Are the snaps metal though? In case of rust?"  
Tord shook his head before saying, "No, they're made of carbon fiber. Waterproof and extremely strong, so you will be able to shower. You just won't be able to see very well. From my understanding, you'll see colors, but I think it will mostly mush together."  
Sure enough, when Tom took off the visor for the rest of the car ride, everything was indistinguishable from one another. Colors were far too blurry to tell his hand from the seat of the car. He'd have to adjust to that, he supposed. "Why didn't you tell me I could take it off before?"  
Tord pursed his lips a little in thought before answering, "I wanted to see if you would try to take it off on your own and find out." He sighed before continuing, the sound lighthearted and no genuine malice came through, "As I suspected though, you were too stupid to figure it out for yourself. Plus, I wanted to make sure you got a little more adjusted to them before we got home."  
When they'd gotten back home, Tom put the visor back on and looked to his door to find Tord already there, opening it for him. He muttered a small "thanks" as he got out of the vehicle.  
As they walked inside, Tord spoke up again, "In your absence, I took time to set up a room for you, since you probably don't want to stay on the couch."  
Tom then followed Tord to his new room. It wasn't a big room, but it wasn't small either. It was comfortable. The walls were a darker grey-blue color and the carpet was paler blue, contrasting from the tan carpet of the hallway. A dresser sat in the far right corner, diagonal of the door in the inner left corner. Two windows sat on the far wall, the bed against the wall perpendicular to the door.  
Beside the dresser, hanging on the wall was-- "Susan!? How'd you get her here?!" Tom ran over to the beloved bass he'd left behind in the midst of the fight with Edd and Matt, taking her off of the wall and looking her over for any new damage.  
After he found that she was in the exact same shape as he'd left her, he looked back to Tord just in time to see him rub the back of his neck, "I had noticed you didn't bring it along when you came asking for a place to stay. I had to pull a few strings with Matt, no pun intended, but he was stupid enough to just hand it over once I explained it was for you."  
Tom took note of how Tord seemed bashful at this moment. It was like he hadn't been expecting Tom to be that excited about it, or maybe he was and just didn't expect Tom to seem so grateful for it. A small, crooked smile crept onto his lips.  
"Thank you. You didn't have to go back and get her for me," Tom said. He hadn't meant to sound so genuine, but there wasn't any use in trying to take it back now.  
Tord cleared his throat then and stepped back a little, out of the doorway, "Well, I'll leave you to get adjusted. While I was there, I grabbed your old clothes. They're in the dresser." And with that, Tord closed the door and left Tom to his own devices.


	3. Adjustments

When Tord opened his front door that night, he didn't know what he expected. Thomas Ridge was definitely not it, though. But he was thankful it wasn't some assassin.  
The Red Leader side of his brain had told him to just leave Tom out in the rain. But he's lived a good portion of his life with Tom and, even if they didn't always get along, he cared about him to an extent. Tom didn't exactly explain why he was kicked out, but who was Tord to judge? He literally blew up their house the last time he saw Edd face to face.  
He reasoned with his RL brain until he was entirely on board with himself to let Tom stay, at least for the night. It was all spur-of-the-moment of course, but after taking some time to think more on it throughout the night, he figured that was a fair trade. Plus, Tom had to have been expecting attachments if he'd come to Tord of all people for shelter.  
While Tom was under, getting the surgery for his eyes, Tord had to change what things were where. He needed to also buy another bed. Pat and Paul helped him get the furniture moved around. Once that was done, he just needed to get Tom's things. Sooner or later, Tom was going to ask about getting his shit anyway, so that'd just be another conversation they didn't need to have.  
Seeing how genuinely happy Tom was to come home from the hospital and find his precious guitar though... That hit differently. Tord was still trying to understand why. Don't get him wrong, he and Tom to his knowledge still don't like each other one bit. However, seeing him happy for the first time since he'd gotten here made Tord feel good.  
Truth be told, Tord regretted doing what he did to people that were supposed to be his friends. He was caught up in a power-hungry craze and all thoughts of human decency were disregarded. They'd all been fairly good to him, Tom being the worst of it. But even that wasn't fully bad.  
He missed living with other people if he was honest. When Paul and Patryck started getting on him about the robot incident, he didn't have much of another choice than to go live on his own. Having Tom here with him, Tord believed, would help.  
When he had brought Tom home and given him Susan back, Tord hadn't known what he expected to happen. In hindsight, he should have expected Tom to start tuning and then playing the instrument like he was now as Tord was getting ready to leave for his daily jog. He heard the notes being strummed and had noticed that Tom left the door open.  
He stood out of sight and peeked into the room. Why would Tom leave the door open? Either way, Tord recognized the tune. Not entirely, but it was familiar and he liked it. He sat on the floor and listened for a little while.  
After a few chords, Tom started to sing softly to himself, or so he thought, "Sunshine, lollipops, and rainbows. Everything that's wonderful is sure to come your way..." Wait, was Tord hearing this shit right? This didn't sound as upbeat and cheerful as the original. Maybe Tom was playing a slower version? Regardless, the song sucked, and yet Tord couldn't find a way to make himself leave from his spot to listen.   
Tord hated the fact that he was actually enjoying Tom singing this god awful song. He looked at his robotic arm, trying to distract himself a little maybe. He eventually just had to leave before he did something he'd regret.  
It was definitely going to take a little time to adjust to living with each other, especially alone without someone to mediate. However, both Tom and Tord were willing to try and get along. Even if it was for nothing more than because they had no one to stop them if things got out of hand. Tord didn't know what would trigger Tom's transformation and Tom didn't know what kind of secret weapon compartments Tord had potentially laying around the house at any given moment. They both could quite easily kill each other, and neither wanted that.  
For the most part, the first few months were peaceful. Tord would go about his day per usual and Tom would alternate between playing his guitar, watching TV, and eating. They didn't have very many conversations unless it was over dinner, which they'd agreed Tom would always make. Tord was alright at cooking, but his food was bland compared to Tom's. Tord blamed that on his impatience and not knowing which spices were more suitable for what meats.  
Just about the only problem they ever faced, when left alone in a house together, was figuring out how to work out the laundry schedule. There was no way in hell Tord was going to continue to do Tom's laundry. That first night was a freebie. And Tom would sooner die before he'd willingly touch Tord's dirty boxers. God knows what's been on them, knowing Tord. The only reason it was a problem though was that they both tended to do laundry spontaneously. "Spontaneously," of course, meaning "when there was no clean underwear left in the dresser and he's worn the same pair of pants and shirt for three days now."  
Tom made an attempt to do his laundry while Tord was out on his daily runs, but because of how much there was, his second-to-third loads would still need to be done by the time Tord came back and needed to change out of the sweaty clothes.  
Will Tom aloud admit to subtly admiring Tord's body when he'd come home from his runs? No, never aloud. But he knew he was doing it and didn't consider himself troubled by it.  
All history aside, Tord's body was nice. His arm looked firm ("arm" because of course, the cybernetic one was going to be firm) and his legs were meaty, at least from the knee down. Tord wore basketball shorts on his runs usually, so it wasn't always easy to tell. Though, when he wore jogging pants, his legs didn't seem much different upwards than downwards.  
Some days, when it was hotter out, Tord would either come home with his tank top entirely off or would take it off as he was walking inside. Tom of course, was used to this from living with Tord before the robot incident, so it didn't bother him to sometimes see a shirtless Tord walking around the house.  
Still, he would catch himself glancing at the other's form. Tord was muscular, more than he had been before when they'd lived with Edd and Matt, though it wasn't body-builder muscular, just fit. Then again, Tord didn't go out and exercise like this every day when they lived with Edd and Matt either. His torso was halfway covered in different scars, most of them from the explosion of the robot, Tom assumed. However, there were some that Tom didn't know the origin of. A few looked like they might've been bullet removals, others from being swung at with a knife.  
Tord wasn't so innocent of looking either, though. Again, from living together before, he wasn't fazed by it. But on occasions where Tom was coming out of the shower or doing laundry that desperately needed to be done, he'd look too.  
Tom, physically, wasn't much to gawk at, but he definitely wasn't gross. He had a rugged look about him. Scars from bar fights peppered his arms and shoulder area stingily. He wasn't as muscular as Tord was, but it was obvious he could still pick up a grown man and thrown him if he wanted to. He had dad arms, to put it bluntly; strong, but not inherently intimidating.  
Living with another person though, these glances were to be expected, intentional or not. Neither really acknowledged the other's looks, even if they had maybe caught a glimpse of the staring. Neither really seemed to care enough to mention it, either. Sometimes it was unavoidable, too.  
For example, one night Tom had come down for a midnight snack, unknowingly whilst Tord was getting out of a late-night shower. When Tom heard the bathroom door open and saw Tord in only a towel, trying to creep back up the stairs, he'd accidentally made a noise that caused Tord to trip on the step. The towel kept most of what needed to be, covered. Tripping going up the stairs though, caused Tord's bare ass to be right out in the open for Tom to see.  
They didn't dare talk about it the next morning and the next few days after were a little awkward, but they got over it. Now, when Tom's down for a midnight snack, he'll give Tord a small knock on the counter or clear his throat once he hears the bathroom open up, just to let him know he's there. Of course, now even for his late-night showers, Tord brings at least a pair of clean underwear in with him.


	4. Orders

After a few months to recover and adjust after the surgery and moving in with Tord, Tom figured that he was ready to start the studying he'd agreed to be a subject of. Tord didn't hesitate to bring Tom along when he went to the main facility next. The drives had gotten better and more tolerable for Tom's vision, so he could see that they were pretty much going out to a secret base in the middle of ass crack nowhere. Thick, dark woods surrounded the base and the taller trees covered it from above. It truly looked like an evil base for someone trying to take over the world.  
When they actually entered the building, Tom was put through a series of identity checks, just to be safe whilst also registering him into the system for future reference. Tord followed the security check as well, but it was much quicker for him. This was likely due to him being the Red Leader, Tom figured.  
Tord led Tom through many hallways, all branching off into different rooms and laboratories. Some were labeled with "no unauthorized personnel" signs, others with "biohazard" or "high voltage." Tom started to think about what the room he was going to be studied in would be labeled.  
Tord brought Tom into what looked like a regular room for checkups, the sign on the door reading "human testing". This wasn't far from what it was used for either, Tom came to find. To start off the studies, a shorter man came into the room, the tag on his lab coat reading "Dr. M. Verrik." He had explained that he was going to check Tom's vitals and compare them to before the surgery to see what was stabilizing since the removal of cancer and what was going back to normal. Essentially, it was all to see if Tom's body was ready to be tested, not just his mind.  
Tom checked out though, so they proceeded through a small hallway, off from the patient room. The hallway walls were littered with screens, replaying the same video clips from various angles. Tom recognized these clips from when Edd got super powers. These clips were street cam footage of when Tom turned into that huge beast.  
Tord had seen where Tom's thoughts were likely going, and decided to speak up, "We don't monitor all street cameras constantly. Only when something unusual pops up on our radar do we look into them. When you're taking over the world, you want to know what's going on and what could be useful to you. This is how I discovered your abilities."  
Tom nodded and Dr. Verrik opened a door into an observatory room. The three walked in and Tom could see a large window viewing an all-white room on the other side of the glass.  
"Mr. Ridge, if you'll follow me?" Dr. Verrik asked calmly. Tord gave him an encouraging nod, so Tom followed Dr. Verrik through another door then, leading off to a room that wasn't the big white one on the other side of the glass like he'd been expecting. "To observe you, we need you to change into these. You can leave off your shoes. Knock on the door right there with the black handle when you're ready."  
Tom watched as Dr. Verrik stepped back through the other door— that one had a silver handle— to leave him to get changed. Tom looked to find that the clothes they were recommending were just a plain T-shirt and basketball shorts. He supposed he needed free movement of his body for some of the tests.  
He decided to leave off his sneakers but kept his socks on since the floor felt cold. Tom approached the door with a black handle to knock and let them know he was ready to start before he saw a sign beside it. There wasn't anything else on the walls except the hangers for his clothes, so he read it.  
 _By knocking on this door and proceeding with the tests, you agree to not hold the Red Army accountable for any physical over-stimulation of your body. This includes, but is not limited to, pulled muscles, torn tendons, broken bones, burns, and lacerations. Our intention is not to harm you, but to test your body's limitations._  
Tom found this warning a little unsettling, but he supposed it wasn't going to be that bad. He knocked on the door and the handle clicked, presumably unlocking, before he opened the door and walked into that white room.  
If he hadn't have walked in through the observation room before, he wouldn't have known there was a window on that wall. It was all white and plain.  
"Alright Thomas, I trust you read the warning sign by the door, yes?" came Tord's voice from a speaker Tom couldn't see. He nodded and gave a small "Yeah." "Good, so you know that you will likely be exhausted by the end of this then. This is not going to be a one-time thing, though, so if it is any comfort to you, just know that whatever seemingly hell you get put through today, the next visit will be worse."  
"Now that's not very comforting at all, Commie," Tom said in a faux offense, laughing it off despite the dread creeping up his spine.  
"I'm aware that you and I have a personal history, Thomas, but here you will only address me as Red Leader, understand? No nicknames." Tord's voice didn't sound too pleased. In fact, maybe a little angry or annoyed. Tom didn't like that tone at all for some reason.  
"Yes sir," Tom quirked a brow, unamused.  
"We are going to start with smaller things to see how you react. A reflex test, if you will," came a different voice-- Dr. Verrik's voice, if Tom remembered correctly. He nodded and a small opening in the wall opposite the door appeared. What looked like a small canon came poking out of it. "Try to avoid being hit."  
Tom didn't know what he expected to come out of the canon, but he supposed tennis balls would have been a good guess as the canon start to shoot them at him. Tom dodged most of them, only getting skimmed a couple of times. Tennis balls didn't hurt too much, but with the speed at which they were being launched, you definitely felt it when they did hit you.  
As the simulation continued, the projectiles got faster. Tom was still dodging most of them. For someone who was usually drunk to some extent and hasn't been the most active in a while, Tom felt he was doing pretty good.  
For the most part, all Tom had to do for the tests today was dodging things. When the tests were all done for the day and he'd gotten changed, he walked into the observation room to find Dr. Verrik beaming and Tord looking pleased, but only slightly. Dr. Verrik handed him a bottle of water and a granola bar.  
Tom smirked to himself as he listened to Dr. Verrik tell him how he did and what they're going to work on during the next session. Mostly, they were going to focus on his aim next time, now that they knew he could dodge 98% of the time. Tord ended the conversation a little short after looking at his watch, wanting to get home in time to get a proper meal in their stomachs before bed.  
After weeks of different assessments, some more torturous and others tamer, they came up with a verdict on Tom's abilities. He only gets giant like before under specific circumstances. Self-defense against larger threats, when he's suffered a large amount of pain, and when he gets too angry or frustrated, to name a few of these circumstances. He was also really good at defending things and, while it may be due to his visor, he was a really good shot.  
They had discovered he had a secondary "monster" form that was more likely to come out than the giant beast Tord had discovered on the street cam footage. The trio worked on getting Tom to be able to turn into this form at will.  
Though his preference originally would have been to just be a superweapon used as a last resort so he wouldn't necessarily have to really do anything, Tord and his generals came to an agreement that Tom would serve best as a bodyguard for Tord, even if the Red Leader didn't necessarily need one.  
Because of his status in the Red Army, it wasn't a good idea to let him be alone too often. Assassins looking to cut the head from the snake would have more opportunities to off him if they wanted to. Tom living with Tord also helped feed into the idea of him becoming Tord's bodyguard as well since that would leave virtually no time where Tord was fully alone.  
Tom agreed to the assignment. He and Tord didn't act hostile to each other much anymore and they were fairly comfortable living together already. However, he knew there was still a lot of tension between them. He'd voiced this concern to Dr. Verrik privately during his next checkup. Dr. Verrik thought for a moment before offering a solution.  
"I recall the Red Leader mentioning you two have history, yes?" Tom nodded. "Were you friends?"  
"Never. We were roommates and never really got along, but I got kicked out of my old house and he was the only person I felt I could turn to still."  
"Well then maybe try bonding. Build a relationship with him beyond 'frenemies' however you'd like to. It may remove the tension and help you gain more of a desire to protect him. Like in the Roman Empire, they encouraged couples to join the army together because they'd be more inclined to keep each other alive during wars. He seems to like you enough to want to try, from what he was saying in the observation room during your tests," he suggested. Dr. Verrik seemed confident in his advice and offered a friendly smile. Tom found comfort and encouragement in this as he nodded.  
"Thank you, I'll try that," Tom wasn't so sure about that whole "couple" part, but he figured trying to bond a little would indeed help.   
Tom stood in front of Tord now. They were in a garage of sorts for the Red Army's vehicles. Tord was reading off a list to Tom of things that they needed to attend to, mostly Tord. But Tom being his bodyguard meant he had to tag along.  
They were going to be taking a private jet over to a base a few countries over and would be staying there for a few nights. Tom supposed in order for Tord to have world domination, he'd have to have different bases worldwide, so it made sense.  
"We'll be heading out in a few hours. Paul will be seeing to the status of the jet. Is there anything you need to attend to here?" Tord spoke in a bored tone. Truth be told, he hated planes. Jet-lag made him queasy and Tord hated the idea of an engine failure and then he'd die in an ocean somewhere that no one would find him.  
"No, I don't think I have anything left to attend to. What about you?" Tom tried, he was going to make an attempt to start a bonding exercise as Dr. Verrik suggested.  
"No, I have nothing to do until we land in Italy," Tord said.  
"Want to go grab lunch before we leave then?" Tom quirked a brow. Tord thought it over before nodding.  
"I know a place nearby."


	5. Maybe More

_"What the hell were you thinking, Tord!?" Tom snarled as he shoved the aforementioned Red Leader further back from the flames. Tord's half-scarred face staring glassy back to the burning building._  
They had just landed in Italy, about 34 kilometers from the Red Army base there. The drive wasn't too terribly long, nor was it all that boring either. Tord and Tom's lunch conversation carrying over the flight and even into the car ride.  
Tom had mentioned Dr. Verrik's bonding advice and Tord agreed to give it a try without any struggle or protest. When they had gotten lunch, Tom got to pick where they'd sit to eat it. He picked a rooftop nearby, out of the general public eye but also still in a public area.  
They'd gotten to talking about everything that'd happened in Tord's absence on either side of it. Tom went over the adventures he, Edd, and Matt went on and Tord went over the progress he'd made with Paul and Patryck with the Red Army. Then came the topic of Tom being kicked out.  
Tom looked to his hands with a blank screen on his visor, but the way he held himself told Tord that he wasn't feeling the greatest about it. "After the robot, I started drinking a lot more. Like, a lot more. Edd and Matt got sick of it so they told me to quit or they were gonna kick me out."  
Tord felt a pang of guilt in his chest at hearing this. He wasn't sure if he should have, but he reached over to softly place his hand on Tom's back and rub small, comforting circles. Tom seemed receptive to it, so Tord didn't immediately stop.  
They'd continued to talk about life and all the different things they'd thought about as kids. They bonded a lot, or at least that's how Tom was feeling about it.  
The next day while they visited again to see how the progress on explosives was going, no one had expected some nitwit to smoke too close to a wick. While everyone else had run away from the explosion, Tord froze in place, just staring at the flames that lashed a meter from his face.  
"Tord come on, snap out of it! You're too close to the fire!" Tom tried again, trying to shove Tord further away from the glowing heat.  
Tord fell back after the next shove, causing Tom to groan in frustration. He then knelt down and hoisted Tord into his arms to start running after the Italian branch of the Red Army. Tord didn't respond.  
Once everyone had gotten to safety— only a few people were hurt and no one died thankfully— Tom sat with Tord in a shitty gas station bathroom. He figured being out in the sun around a lot of people wouldn't help the situation.  
Tom got some paper towel and dampened it from the sink, then brought it over before dabbing the cool water on Tord's forehead. Tom didn't know what exactly was going on, but he figured something having to do with fire or explosions was triggering some kind of panic attack that had caused Tord to shut down.  
Remembering the little chant he'd heard around before, he looked to Tord to determine if he was pale or red. Seeing that he wasn't looking red at all, almost ghostly actually, Tom took off his vest and lay it flat on the floor before helping Tord lay on top of it.  
Once Tord was laying down, he propped the taller's legs up, ankles anchored on the edge of the sink to keep his legs raised. Tom tugged at his hair as he thought of what else he could do before invasive thoughts crept into his mind.  
He knew how to pick a lock, so he locked the bathroom door behind himself before heading into the gas station to grab a cheap beer or something, anything, to hold him off for a little while. He grabbed a bottle of water too before heading up to purchase the drinks, then made his way back out to the bathroom, expertly picking the lock and sitting beside Tord.  
"You better snap out of it soon or I'm gonna start thinking you're more trouble than you're worth," Tom bargained in vain, cracking open his beer and taking a hesitant sip. Finding it wasn't terrible, he took a less shy sip.  
It would be a good while before Tord came back on his own, Tom changing the paper towel on Tord's forehead out at least twice. Tom was leaning back against the door, his visor not displaying any emoticons, meaning either he was asleep or was resting his eyes.  
Tord looked to see a water bottle next to his head before he carefully and quietly sat up. Stupid Tom, why didn't he just take Tord back to the jet? Or get a medic or something? Stubborn asshole...  
He caught sight of the beer and grimaced a bit as he took a sip from the water bottle. After hearing about Tom's spike in a drinking problem, seeing him with any alcohol wasn't pleasant. Tord reached over and took the beer, tossing it in the trash.  
The clatter of it in the trash can got Tom to perk up, "Good morning, Jehovah. I see you've selected the best place for your beauty rest. Maybe that's why you're still ugly."  
"Shove off, Commie. It was the closest safe place I could get to while you were out of it. What was your problem? It's hard to guard someone who freezes up at the sight of fire," Tom retorted with a grumpy, tired voice.  
Tord got a little quieter in response. It was like he was taking down a wall and letting Tom see that he was still a person too as he fiddled with his hands, "It's not the fire... It was the explosion. I... freeze when I hear them."  
Tom, a little buzzed, didn't think much before he spoke, "How the hell do you expect to fight a war to dominate the world if you can't move when you hear an explosion?"  
Tord gave him a warning look, "I have an army for a reason. Plus it's your fault anyway."  
It took a moment for Tom to understand what he meant by this, but when it clicked, his expression softened and he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, "Sorry about that..."  
"We're even. I took your house with me, you gave me trauma to remember it by," Tord half-heartedly attempted to joke out the situation.  
Tom didn't laugh, but neither did Tord. They instead sat in silence for a moment before Tom sighed and moved to get up, holding out a hand for Tord to pull himself up with.  
Tord accepted his hand and grabbed the vest on the way up, "Um... Thanks..."  
Tom shrugged a bit and offered a calm, relaxed smile, "Figured the Red Leader didn't want to wake up on a bathroom floor directly."  
Tord rolled his eyes and chuckled a little, "What a gentleman."  
Tom laughed a little and elbowed Tord a bit before taking the vest back, "We should probably head back to the jet. I would've thought we could've done some sightseeing, but I've frankly had enough of Italy for now."  
Tord sighed and nodded, a tired expression on his face, "I hate to agree with you, but I'm sick of Italy too."


	6. Matt?

They'd gotten home the next day, both exhausted and in need of a fat nap. Unfortunately, neither was able to properly fall asleep, so they decided to watch one of the movies Tord had on the shelves beside the TV, Tom's pick.  
Over the few months that they'd been living together, they'd do this when neither was able to sleep. They wake up the next morning awkwardly on top of each other, but that's to be expected when you fall asleep on a couch together. They never acknowledged it.  
Tonight, Tom felt apathetic and selected something at random. Evidently, the selected movie was Alex Strangelove. Tord didn't seem to care, though, and neither did Tom. A small bowl of pistachios was on the coffee table for them to munch on during the film.  
As expected, they fell asleep in what to onlookers would appear to be an uncomfortable tangle between them, but both men were out like a light. The next morning, they'd wake up in an awkward position and Tom would then go make breakfast without a word about it.  
Tord was bothered by Tom's apathy. He knew Tom had caught him staring once or twice at least. When they'd wake up tangled in each other and Tom would go on acting like nothing happened, it kind of hurt Tord's pride. What happened to that "bonding exercise" Tom had mentioned? He wasn't going to pressure Tom into acknowledging it though. It was just something he suffered in silence over was all.  
While Tom made breakfast, Tord went up to his room to get ready for the day. When he went to mark off his calendar, he noticed today's date was circled with nothing but a shitty doodle of a purple smiley face. It took a moment for his tired brain to register what was happening today in relation to a purple smiley face before it finally clicked in his head. Matt was coming over.  
He did say he had to work things out with Matt before when he brought Tom's guitar home. Tord had forgotten he had agreed to let Matt come see how Tom was doing. Matt had bargained— on behalf of Edd— that Tord helps Tom get over his drinking problem.  
He grumbled a bit before getting into one of his nicer T-shirts and a more presentable pair of jeans. After checking out how these jeans hugged his ass almost perfectly in the mirror, he decided he was good to go for the day and headed back downstairs, just in time for breakfast.  
"So Tom, you remember how I brought your guitar and stuff over?" Tord started as he sat down, Tom placing a plate of pancakes and bacon down in front of him before turning to serve his own plate up.  
"Bass, and yeah. You said you had to pull some strings with Matt, right?"  
"Yes, I did say that. I believe I failed to tell you what those strings were, though," Tord's voice was a little shy sounding like he knew he'd done something wrong. This caused Tom to quirk a brow as he sat across from Tord with his own food. His silence begged Tord to go on.  
"He, by request of Edd, agreed to let me just come and take everything instead of making you come to get it all on the condition that I help alleviate you of your alcoholism."  
Tom scoffed a bit, "Good luck with that."  
"He's coming by today to check up on our progress on it," Tord spoke in a more serious tone.  
Tom's aloofness faltered now, "What's the plan then?"  
Tord shrugged and shoved a piece of bacon in his mouth then, "Nothing really. You haven't been drinking too much since you've been here."  
"I haven't had much access to alcohol since I've been here, either. If we aren't out with the army, I'm sitting here all day," Tom said, his brow quirking again.  
Tord scratched the back of his neck then, "Well then we just have to make sure we and the house look presentable for when he comes by later."  
"What time?"  
"Around 5 I believe. He's planning to stay for dinner while Edd is visiting family."  
"Damn it all," Tom hissed, looking angrily to his plate.  
"Are you alright, Thomas?"  
"No, I'm not alright," Tom saw no point in lying. "I get kicked out of their place and now they're still tryna keep me on a leash! It's ridiculous and controlling."  
Tord reached across to Tom's wrist and held it gently, rubbing with his thumb, "Hey, you'll be okay. If it makes you that uncomfortable, after tonight I won't let either of them into this house anymore."  
Tom sighed before shaking his head, "No don't do that, they'll just get more annoying about it."  
"Alright, Jehovah."  
"Does he know about my visor?" Tom asked, trying to change the mood a little.  
"I've been giving periodic updates, so yes. He and Edd know."  
Tom sighed again, "Alright."  
By the time Matt came over, the house was clean and both Tom and Tord were working together on making dinner this time. When Matt knocked on the door, Tord came to answer.  
Matt pointed out a little bit of flour on Tord's nose and Tord chuckled a bit before inviting him inside.  
"We're almost done. I trust you found the way alright?"  
"Yeah, it was a fairly easy route. You two are both cooking at the same time?" Matt asked, his head tilting a little.  
"Yeah, is there a problem with that?" Tom spoke up, a dribble of acid in his tone. Tord, who'd moved back to the kitchen, lightly kicked Tom's ankle to remind him that Matt was a guest right now.  
"No, no problem. Just wasn't expecting that. Every time I've seen you two, you were butting heads. It's a little weird to see you cooperating is all," Matt said. He leaned against the wall next to the fridge to watch the two work together. Matt had definitely noticed the duo stealing glances at each other, but never at the same time. He didn't know what to make of this.  
Tom and Tord hated each other, last he and Edd knew. Why would Tom turn to Tord when he got kicked out? And why were they so friendly all of a sudden? Had they been talking in private before Tom got kicked out? Were they dating? Oh! That must be it!  
"So how long have you two been together? Romantically, I mean," he asked. It was innocent enough, but Tom was instantly red in the face. Tom then quickly excused himself, something about forgetting eggs and needing to go out to get more. Tord turned around to Matt.  
"What the hell was that?" Tord's voice was stern. His cheeks were rosy, though.  
"What do you mean? I asked a question. You two were staring at each other and out of nowhere, you're all besties when I distinctly remember Tom blowing up your giant robot the last time the four of us were together. What else am I supposed to think?" Matt retorted.  
"I- we aren't together. He said he didn't know where else to go after you and Edd kicked him out. I'm letting him stay with me on terms that he's agreed to," Tord crosses his arms.  
"To be your boyfriend?"  
"Don't be stupid, of course not! It's nothing like that. He's my bodyguard and that's all you need to know about it," Tord stated flatly.  
"Then why do you look at him like that?" Matt tilted his head a little.  
"Like what?" Tord looked away, avoiding eye contact as he turned back to the food he and Tom had almost been done making.  
"Like how Edd looks at Coca-Cola. You like him, don't you?" Matt pressed on. Tord gave a frustrated sigh.  
"It's not your business. You don't live here with us, you kicked him out. You don't have any entitlement to our personal lives or how we feel about anything."  
Matt frowned a bit and looked to the front door where Tom had disappeared in a rush before looking to Tord again, "I think I'm gonna leave. He's clearly not drunk anymore, so thanks for that I guess. He's welcome home if he wants to."  
"Trust me, he doesn't," Tord said with a voice dripping with venom. Matt then decided it was best if he were to take his leave.  
Tom didn't come home for a while. It worried Tord, but Tom had taken the car and left his phone behind, so he had no way to contact him. Tord decided to set a plate in the microwave for Tom when he got home. Tord knew they didn't forget any eggs, but he wasn't going to stop Tom from getting out of a situation that made him uncomfortable like that.  
Tord had gone upstairs to his room to work on some leftover paperwork, leaving his door open to listen for when Tom got back. By the time Tom got home, Tord had passed out at his desk. Tom didn't exactly go looking for him though. Instead, Tord found himself waking up to the sound of glass bottles clinking in the garbage can.  
He looked to his alarm clock next to his bed, it read 1:38 AM. What the hell was Tom doing up? It took him a moment before the glass bottles registered properly in Tord's head that Tom was drinking. He got up quickly and rushed downstairs.  
Tom slumped back onto the couch and cracked open the second bottle of a six-pack, downing half of the bottle quickly as another six-pack sat empty beside it. Guess he knew where the bottles were coming from then.   
"Tom what the hell are you doing? Where did you get that?" Tord demanded, causing Tom to jump a little before he looked at Tord. Tom had his visor off, the device resting on the coffee table away from the alcohol.  
"None ya business," came Tom's short reply. He looked blindly back to the movie he'd put on. Tord didn't bother to see what movie it was as he stormed over to Tom to get the alcohol away from him.   
"Christ! Jehovah, c'mon, this shit isn't good for you!" he fought with Tom, who seemed to still hold some dexterity in his drunken state.  
"Piss off, I don't care!"  
"Why do you have this!?" Tord managed to at least get the six-pack that still had beer bottles in it away from Tom.  
"I don't wanna have a feelings session with you right now, Commie! I don't want to feel at all! Leave me alone!" Tom continued to resist.  
"Everybody feels, Tom! Grow up! Drinking to stop being human is ridiculous!" Tord reached for the bottle in Tom's hand forcefully.  
"I need to stop feeling for one fuckin night, Tord!"  
"Why, Tom!? What the hell is so bad about feeling!?" Tord's voice rose in his frustration.  
Tord got the bottle out of Tom's hands, but that seemed to be the thing that snapped him, Tom's words beginning to slur more. "Because dumbass! I lost my best fuckin' friends! I lost my fuckin' house! I had to let myself be used as a fuckin' superweapon to get a place to fuckin' sleep! And ta top it all off- I think I'm fuckin' fallin' for the one person in the world I thought I hated more than myself! And like hell, he's ever gonna fuckin' see me the same! He's tried to kill me and my friends before and I'm fuckin terrified of 'im but 'm livin' in 'is damn house and livin' with him again's makin' me fuckin' realizing that I fuckin' wanna hug him a-and be intimate a-an fuckin' sleep together and I don't know fuckin' why because I'm fuckin' terrified that he's gonna find out and use it 'gainst me in some way or 'nother.." It seemed that at some point in his tangent, he started crying. It also seemed the alcohol was kicking in enough that he forgot who he was talking to for a moment. "I jus' wanna stop feelin' fuckin' everything for one fuckin' night.."  
Tord paused at this, the tips of his ears burning as he looked over Tom's face. He'd lived with Tom for a long time and knew how he got when he was drinking. "Emotional drunk" was never one of Tom's drinking titles. He took a deep breath and moved to set the half-empty bottle on the coffee table before bringing Tom into a hug.  
He refused to address Tom's confession while the man was drunk. That wasn't fair to him. Tord decided to pretend as nothing happened for the sake of giving himself time to determine his own feelings and give Tom time to want to tell him on his own terms.  
He managed to convince Tom to go to bed, getting him something to eat to help soak up the alcohol and setting up some seltzer for his head. Tord wasn't able to sleep that night, his mind roaring with questions now. Was Tom really scared of him? Did Tom really think he'd use his feelings against him like that? Well... Tord figured he could answer that second one already; there was definitely a time that he would have.


	7. Fireworks

Months continued to pass since Matt's visit. It was nearing 10 months now that Tom had been living with Tord. Tord not once tried to bring up what Tom had told him. He'd only told Tom that he found him drinking on the couch and sent him up to bed.  
They'd made it through three seasons together and while summer may have been coming to a close, the air was still warm at night and the duo found themselves at a fair. Normally, Tord wouldn't be caught dead at one of these functions in recent years due to his status in the Red Army. However, Tom was able to convince him to go, just to get them out of the house for a little while and have a good time without any of the stress of world domination invading their heads.  
Tom had read up on this fair and what all would be happening during it at different times. Live music played constantly, but a few bands, in particular, caught his eye from CD's Tord had laying around in the car as well as some vinyl in the house. There was a petting zoo and games with prizes as well as a few rides, including a Ferris wheel. He'd read that after the sun went down, there would be fireworks over the lake nearby, so he'd invested in some earplugs in case Tord wanted to watch.  
When they arrived, Tom watched as Tord turned from the stoic, serious Red Leader he'd grown so used to, into a Tord he didn't know he'd been missing from their younger days. The smile that he couldn't hold back from exploding on his face reminded Tom of the little school fairs they'd do to fundraise for the school play. Tord had always been fairly excited to go to those, edging Edd and Matt to try and challenge him at the ski ball game, only to be bested by Tom every time in an attempt to avenge their friends' losses to Tord. It was almost as if they were back in school.  
Tom found himself smiling fondly after Tord as they walked, Tom on Tord's left side. When Tord turned to face Tom more, his scars from the explosion revealing themselves, Tom's smile faltered. Tom had done that to him. Tord's right eye was no longer the same rich honey color that his left eye displayed and was now instead paler, duller. Tom never asked, but he wouldn't be surprised if Tord couldn't see out of that eye. And it was Tom's fault.  
Granted, Tord blew up their house and tried to kill them, but aside from a single scar on Tom's shoulder, everyone came out unscathed. At least, everyone except for Tord. And I think that one neighbor... Didn't he die? Tom thought. What kind of idiot fires a harpoon at a giant, flying robot on purpose and almost kills their frienemy in the process? Well, Tom figured he knew that answer; Tom was that kind of idiot. Lame.  
A more puzzled look on Tord's face brought Tom out of his thoughts. Had Tord said something?  
"I'm sorry mate could you repeat that?" Tom blinked back into the conscious world.  
"I asked if you wanted to have your ass handed to you at ski ball?" Tord repeated, quirking a brow. "Are you alright, Jehovah?"  
Tom did his best to laugh it off, "Yeah yeah I'm alright. Just spaced out was all. Didn't get much sleep last night." He took a second to think over Tord's offer before smirking, "I don't think I'll be having my ass handed to me, though. If my memory serves me right— which it does— I always destroyed you at ski ball."  
Tord scoffed before hooking his arm around Tom's shoulders, pulling him along to the ski ball games, "How about a little wager? If I win, you let me program hentai faces into your visor. If you win, I'll buy the drinks tonight."  
Tom snorted at this before holding out his hand to Tord, "Deal." Tord smirked before accepting Tom's hand. After shaking on it, he didn't let go and instead held tighter, now pulling Tom along to the ski ball game.  
When they got there, there were conveniently two empty alleys on the end next to each other. They took over them and placed in their tokens. Once the balls dispensed, they were off.  
It'd been a few years since Tom's last game of ski ball, but he had the angle down to a science. Plus, if it's been a while since Tom last played, he couldn't imagine how long it'd been since Tord played. He had it in the bag.  
In the end though, after eleven consecutive rounds, they continuously tied. Neither had won the bet, but the number of tickets they'd racked up together was monumental. Tom carefully folded them to fit into his pocket for the prize counter later. Tord wasn't as neat about it, but Tom didn't comment.  
Tord didn't seem upset about it, and neither did Tom. They both just laughed it off and shook hands in good sportsmanship. Neither party was going to acknowledge that their hands lingered a little longer than what was customary, though.  
By the time they'd gotten on the Ferris wheel, the sun was setting. Tom congratulated himself on good timing on that one. From the top, they'd be able to see for miles and, by extension, the sunset. With their funky, cheap fair toys and accessories won at the various games all packed into the little Ferris wheel car with them, they rose.  
Tord seemed happy to be sitting for the first time since lunch when they shared funnel cake and sat in between two game tents, pretending to read people's lips as they passed across the walkway. Tom was fond of Tord's relaxed demeanor. It'd been the first time since he'd moved in with the man that he's ever seen him this comfortable and happy around him. Frankly, Tom had been starting to feel like he made himself another burden on Tord's back, what with his army and all.  
This started to flood his mind with a little more than a few questions now. Time to fix that. "Hey, Tord?"  
The use of his name and not one of their silly little nicknames caught Tord off guard and brought his attention to Tom much quicker, "Yes, Jehovah? Is something wrong?"  
Tom shook his head before looking around for something to focus on that wasn't Tord's face, even if Tord wouldn't have been able to tell— visor or not. Not finding a focal point, he just decided to speak, "Would it be alright if I... touched the scars?"  
Tord didn't seem to fully understand what scars until his eyes moved to his cybernetic arm. Then he remembered his face was half covered in them. Tossing the thought in his head for a moment, he figured they'd been living together for two months shy of a year now, so it wouldn't be weird if he didn't make it weird. "Sure."  
Tom almost missed his answer, his mind exploding with "oh shit, I fucked up" type phrases. He was a little hesitant as he reached out to Tord's face, but Tord caught on and took hold of his wrist, pulling his hand the rest of the way. Tom didn't know how he had expected the scars to feel, but they felt a little bumpy, but smooth at the same time? Some were dipped into Tord's skin, but others pushed up instead, making for an interesting, leathery texture.  
"Do they hurt?" Tom hadn't really processed how shy he sounded until after he'd spoken, his eyes darting behind the visor to see how Tord looked to be feeling. To Tom's surprise, Tord's expression was soft, maybe even relieved as he shook his head.  
With gentle eyes and a calm, smooth voice, Tord said, "No, they don't hurt anymore. I can feel the pressure of your hand, but not much else. There was... a lot of nerve damage."  
"And your eye..?"  
"Almost blind. Much like your eyes without the visor, I expect. I can see very heavily mushed up colors, but no shapes," Tord answered. He seemed extremely calm and collected and Tom was starting to wonder if he shouldn't be so anxious about this anymore.  
"I'm sorry I blew you up."  
"I tried to kill you and did destroy your house. I'd say we're even," Tord gave a light chuckle, the slightest hint of a smile creeping onto his lips. Tom felt an urge to lean in but pushed it back. Not right now.  
When Tom pulled away finally, Tord found himself very slightly chasing after Tom's hand. He may not have been able to properly feel it, but just knowing that Tom's hand was there and was being gentle gave him comfort in a way.  
They'd reached the top of the Ferris wheel now and Tom looked out to see the view, his visor displaying two large circles in reference to Tom's wide eyes. Tord's gaze soon followed and he felt as if his expression was nearly the same.  
The sky was gorgeously painted oranges and reds, fading into pinks and purples. The clouds had a dark blue at the top, bottomed by a bright gold to make them pop and despite the beautiful sky, Tord couldn't seem to pull his eyes away from Tom.  
What kind of person had Tord grown into for Tom to have come to his doorstep that night in need of shelter and stay willingly like that? What kind of person had Tom grown into? He figured he'd get his answer eventually, and he decided he would be alright if he never got one too.  
Tord had put a lot more thought into how he felt about Tom since the night Matt came over. He had noticed the small things Tom did that he either didn't notice him doing before, or knew he didn't do before when they were living with Edd and Matt.  
Tord noticed that he'd look at him directly when he spoke instead of just let things slip from one ear to the other. He noticed that, when they'd sleep on the couch, Tom would sleepily bury his face in Tord's neck regardless of the position they were in, and then he'd complain his neck was sore later in the day. He hadn't wanted to admit it, but he found himself slowly falling for all of the little things Tom did. He found himself slowly falling for Tom. At this moment though? Tord didn't care who knew.   
When they finally got off the Ferris wheel, Tom looked to Tord, "There'll be fireworks soon, over the lake. I brought earplugs for you if you'd like to stay and watch them, but we can go home if you don't want to chance it."  
Tord smiled a little at Tom's thoughtfulness and nodded, "We should go find a good spot to watch them before they start then." Tom smiled now too.  
After making a quick stop at the car to drop off their prizes from throughout the day, they found their way up a grassy hill for the fireworks. The ground wasn't wet, so they figured they didn't need to find a blanket or towel as they sat down, just in time for the first few testers to go off.  
Tom quickly pulled out the earplugs and gave them to Tord to put into his ears before anything could happen. It would be a few more minutes before the actual fireworks display started, the night sky now filling with bright reds and rich greens. Every color under the rainbow exploded in front of their faces. Tom looked at Tord to see if he was alright. To his delight, Tord's eyes weren't distant and he even had a smile on his face. Tom felt that urge again.  
Tord looked at him then, but Tom didn't look away like he usually would have if he'd been caught staring at Tord. This caught Tord's attention even more now as Tom watched the fireworks reflect in Tord's eyes. Tord found himself moving closer to Tom then, his hand in the grass to support his weight as he leaned. Tom caught on immediately and placed his hand on Tord's, leaning in as well now.  
Both seemed fairly shy about it, but by the time the next firework exploded, the distance between them was gone. Tom's hand came up to cup Tord's scarred cheek, pulling him closer, but only slightly. Tord's cybernetic hand came up to press Tom's hand into his cheek.  
Not only were there fireworks in the sky tonight, but there were fireworks in their hearts too.


	8. All's Fair in Love and War

They got home that night at some point around 1 AM. Both were too exhausted from the previous day to walk upstairs to their beds and decided to pass out together on the couch again. Tom decided to lay on top of Tord though, instead of letting sleep decide what awkward angle they would wake up in. Tord didn't mind this at all and wrapped his arms around Tom's waist once they were both comfortable.  
As he drifted off to sleep, Tord began to wonder what they were now. Professionally, they were still the Red Leader and his bodyguard. That wasn't going to change. But what about personally? Were they friends with benefits? Fuck buddies? They hadn't had sex yet though, so how would they be fuck buddies? Then again, Tord wasn't entirely aware they hit the "friend" status yet either. Were they boyfriends? Tord found that he liked the thought of Tom being his boyfriend as sleep finally took him over.  
Tom was usually the first of the two to wake up when they slept on the couch, but this time it was Tord who came back from sleep first. His phone was going nuts on the coffee table where he'd left it last night, waking him up. Somehow he managed to reach over without disturbing Tom and looked at the screen. Seventy-eight unread texts from Paul and Patryck accompanied by thirty missed calls.  
He'd had just enough time to see how many he'd missed before his phone started to ring again- it was Patryck. He answered and moved carefully to sit up, trying to peel Tom off of him, "Pat, what's going on?"  
"Thank God you finally answered! The base! Get here quick! It's an emergency!" Patryck's fearful tone sent a wave of urgency through Tord.  
"I'll be there in ten," Tord said flatly as he got up and shook Tom awake before making an attempt to pull him into standing. "We have to get to the base, something happened. Get up, Jehovah I can't leave without you!"  
Tom, through sleepy eyes, looked up at Tord, "What happened..?"  
"Don't know the details, Patryck said it was an emergency. Hurry up and get dressed," Tord urged as he finally let go of Tom at the base of the stairs. Once he'd heard "emergency," Tom was at attention and moving on his own though.  
Within five minutes, they were both ready to leave and jumped into Tord's car. Tom never knew Tord to be a reckless driver, but at this moment he was running every stoplight and stop sign. He was going over the speed limit by twenty miles, too. Whatever it was must have been really bad.  
Miraculously, they made it to the base without any police stopping them. But the base didn't look good at all. The forest around it was on fire and there was smoke coming out of the windows. The car hadn't even stopped before Tom was out, running up to Paul to get a rundown of what happened.  
"Some guy came in with a signed letter from the Red Leader saying he was coming in to check on progress with the superweapon— you— and so we cleared him! He and the people he was with then started wreaking havoc and caused a fire in the lab! There are still people in there!" Paul said in a fearful tone. Tom turned to look at Tord, who presumably just got the same rundown from Patryck. They met eyes and Tom knew immediately what Tord was about to do.  
He shook his head as he followed Tord towards the burning building, reaching out to grab at his sleeve and tug him back. "You can't go in there! If something happened to you, the whole world domination shit will be for nothing! I'm the one that's supposed to be risking his life here. You go make sure the people that go out are okay, rack up those publicity points."  
Tord's eyebrows pinched together as a brief look of disgust appeared on his face, "Like hell I'm letting you go in alone! If something happened to you-"  
"Then I'd be doing my damn job! The more time we spend arguing on this, the more chances of people dying there are! Get the hell back or I'll make you!" Tom growled.  
Tord noticed his companion's skin darkening and knew what was about to happen, so he surrendered and backed off, allowing Tom to turn and rush into the burning building. The last he saw of Tom was the tail. Tom's discovered alternate "monster" form was no bigger than a moose but was shaped more like a fox, sans the fur. It was a faster form and, in all regards, a more convenient form too.  
He zipped through the building, breaking down walls to get to where his visor had said there were people. No one understood where Tom's clothes went when he transformed, but they've all assumed they just became a part of him since they were all still in place when he'd turn back. His visor was fully functional in this form, little point maps showing him where he needed to go to get people out.  
He made sure to double and even triple check every room before finally the last person was out. He shifted back into his human form, arm looped around the woman who limped out beside him. Tord came running up to them, Paul taking the woman over to the rest of those who needed attention. Tord cupped Tom's face then, pressing their foreheads together after he was sure Tom was okay. Tom didn't move away, panting like a dog in July.  
"Thomas?" Tord sputtered out.  
"Yes, Red Leader?"  
"If you ever do that shit again, I'll kill you. Do you understand me?"  
Tom laughed a bit and nodded before he found himself being pulled into a kiss. He of course returned the kiss before flashing in his visor alerted him.  
The circle was all the way to one side until he turned his head to face the fire. Then the text read _"EMERGENCY | Explosives in proximity to flames | Suggested distance to be 50 meters or further"_ as a flashing triangle blinked next to the text box.  
"Tord we need to get everyone further back. Like, right now, the fire just got to the bombs and everyone is too close!" Tom looked to Tord with a fearful expression. His skin began to darken again and Tord nodded, backing off to start barking orders to get back.  
Tom once again turned into his monstrous form and started carrying those too injured to walk to where his visor suggested was safest, then went back to grab more people. By the time he'd gotten the last of the injured back, those who were alright were still struggling to get to the safe point.  
Tord watched Tom carry five, six, and even seven or eight people away to a safe point, going back and forth so many times before he noticed a straggler farther behind.  
Tom got almost everyone to a safe distance until he noticed Tord going back for someone he'd missed, bolting to his companion and the straggler before picking them up. His visor told him he was in the blast radius still as he realized he wasn't going to make it the rest of the way with two people on his back. He picked up as much speed as he could before stopping suddenly, sending Tord and the straggler flying into the crowd that was waiting anxiously for them to make it.  
Just as Tom thought he was going to be alright, the explosion was set off and he flew into a rather large, sturdy tree, blacking out. Tord pushed himself out of whatever panic attack the explosion was trying to put him in. He needed to find Tom. He turned around from the ground to see the giant, unconscious mass turning back into a man who was also still unconscious.  
"Tom!" Tord exclaimed, getting up to run over to him. Tom didn't respond and the screen on his visor was cracked. Tord brought his ear to Tom's chest in a desperate search for a heartbeat before he finally found it, sighing in relief.  
He was alive.


	9. Reunion

It'd been weeks since Tom was admitted to the hospital. Tord was told by the doctors that he was going to wake up, but they didn't know when. He had a mild concussion and for now, was in a coma. Turns out, when you're too close to an explosion and consequently get knocked into a tree at 7 km per hour, your body needs a lot of time to recover. Aside from bruises and broken bones though, Tom wasn't visibly hurt, so Tord was thankful for that, but he was still worried sick.  
Paul and Patryck both had come to visit and make sure Tord actually got some sunlight a few times. They knew how much Tom meant to Tord and wouldn't try to take him off of hospital grounds. Patryck currently sat next to Tord now on a bench outside while they had lunch. Paul was keeping watch over Tom upon Tord's request.  
"You gonna ask him to be official when he wakes up?" Pat asked before stuffing his face with the bland hospital sandwich. He'd have to remember to ask Paul to make a stop at a burger joint next time.  
"Not immediately, but yes. If he remembers me. I overheard a couple of doctors talking about a chance of memory loss when he wakes up," Tord said, his tone eerily flat and unreadable.  
"You two have been around each other almost all your lives though, haven't you?"  
"Yes."  
"Then I wouldn't worry too much about it. If nothing else, he'll remember you from secondary school," Patryck tried to reassure.  
"He and I hated each other back then," Tord replied.  
"Then we can help you explain to him you got over that hate."  
Tord shook his head, "I won't force him into that. Memories will come back in their own time if that ends up being the case. I just don't want it to be." Patryck offered Tord a pat on the back to try and help comfort him before they both received a message from Paul in their group chat.  
 _Two guys in green are here. I think it's your old roommates, Red Leader._  
Tord felt his chest tighten and his heart rate gain speed as he got up, not even waiting for Patryck before marching through the hospital corridors to Tom's room. Patryck was used to this behavior though and caught up quickly. When Tord came into the room, sure enough, Edd and Matt were there.  
"What are you two doing here?" Tord said, his words bubbling with an acidic tone.  
"We came to see Tom. The fire was all over the news and when we saw his face pop up we decided to come to see how he was doing," Edd replied shortly. It seemed he wasn't trying to start a fight, but he wasn't opposed to one happening.  
"All of a sudden you care about him then? Where were you two when he finally started going through withdrawal? Or when his drinking had gotten so bad that you kicked him out? You have no business here."  
This time it was Matt that spoke up, "Oh like you're any better? You're the reason his drinking got bad in the first place! And you left us— him included— twice! Where were you when he came out to his family who then rejected him because of their religion? Where were you when he stopped coming home at night because he was passed out drunk on the side of the road? Don't act like you're so innocent!"  
Tord sneered at the two, "At least I have been trying to make up for the things I've done."  
"By making him your superweapon instead of just giving him a place to stay until he was on his feet?" Edd retorted.  
"Who's the jackass that kicked him out in the first place again?" Paul stepped in. He didn't like seeing that it was two on one here.  
"Who invited the angry birds guy?" Matt chimes in again.  
"I did."  
The quintet looked back to Tom, his refurbished visor still sitting on the table, leaving his hollow eyes exposed to the shapeless, merged colors before him. "Yeah you two were there for shit to hit the fan, but once it started splattering on the walls, you kicked me out. Tord, Paul, and Patryck haven't been perfect, but you'd expect life long friends to have been better at being friends. Guess that's why they say to keep your enemies closer, huh?"  
Tord didn't know if he should rush over to Tom's bedside or if he should stay put. His eyes met Tom's in a desperate attempt to find his answer. Tom reached his hand up a little to Tord then, and he didn't hesitate to come over and take the hand.  
"I'm starting to think you two were the problem. In less than a year alone with him, Tord and I finally started getting along after a lifetime of feuding around you two," Tom continued, carefully guiding Tord into helping him stand up. Tord stopped him from doing so, of course, and instead opted to sit beside Tom on the bed.  
Edd's eyebrows furrowed then as he looked between the two, "You really don't care for any of the adventures we had? All the shenanigans we got up to?"  
"Since all of it ultimately led up to you kicking me out, I really and truly don't." Tom looked blindly around for his visor before Tord handed it to him, "And if all you came here to do was to make a last-ditch effort into getting me to come back, you can leave. I'm fine now and doing better than I was when you kicked me out and I don't need you anymore." Edd and Matt's eyes both held a pang of guilt and shimmer of hurt, but they then left without another word.  
Tom finally looked up to Tord, whose face was now clear. Tord's eyes were filled with worry, an emotion Tom didn't know Tord to have until recently. He smiled though and brought a hand up to gently cup the scarred half of Tord's face. Tord smiled back and pressed his forehead to Tom's.  
"I'm sorry I went into that fire like a maniac," Tom said, a slight chuckle to his voice accompanied by what was ultimately a guilty demeanor.  
Tord shook his head and gestures to Paul and Patryck for confirmation, "Don't apologize. You pretty much saved everyone and somehow made it out yourself with only a few bruises and a couple of broken bones."  
Tom laughed a bit at this when Paul and Pat both smiled and gave a thumbs up. Patryck spoke up then, "You've got nothing to be sorry for, Ridge. You may have caused Red Leader to lose sleep and at least ten pounds from malnutrition in his worry, but you did everything else right." Tom's cheeks dusted pink before he looked back at Tord again and finally pulled him into a kiss.


	10. Happily Ever After Isn't Meant for Forever, But for Now is a Start

Months continued to pass until they turned to years. Edd and Matt popped up every now and again, but it was tolerable after a while. Knowing that Tom was doing better was enough for them, he supposed. Hell, they even sort of made up. At least, enough that they didn't talk so aggressively to each other anymore.  
It was an off comment, not meant to sound so casual. Tord was doing paperwork at the new base in his office. Tom was standing guard next to him. They'd been dating for a little over a year and a half now and Tord was reading through some of the share agreements and whatnot from other bases. The Red Army was doing pretty well after the incidents from before. They were starting to make movements to actually take over places. Tord figured it would be now or potentially never, considering how well world domination usually went for people.  
"We should get married," he said distractedly. Tom looked away from the door then, his face a look of appalled shock.  
"You say that so casually?"  
"I don't mean to make it sound like it isn't a big deal, sorry," Tord laughed a bit before turning to get up and walk over to Tom, taking his hand and placing it over his scarred cheek. "I was just thinking about the takeover. With how world domination attempts before me have gone down, I don't know if we'll have a chance to before the takeover is done. If either of us is to die, I'd rather die as husbands than as boyfriends."  
At face value, Tord's words weren't entirely comforting or endearing, but something in his eyes and in his voice made Tom's heart melt a little. He nodded a bit and leaned up to kiss the bridge of Tord's nose. "When then?"  
"The snow is melting, maybe in the spring, when the flowers are in bloom?" Tom nodded and smiled at him.  
Tom's family didn't show, but he expected that. What with their religious views, he was bound to have a wedding without his parents there. His sister came though, so at least he had someone. Tord's brothers came, his niece and nephew playing the roles of flower girl and ring bearer. Everyone else there was from the army. Paul and Patryck, Dr. Verrik and his husband, and a good handful of others came.  
They'd contemplated not inviting Edd and Matt, what with their making up being so recent, but with the turning of leadership across the world, they figured giving them a chance to be friends again wouldn't be so bad. Edd and Matt came as Tom's groomsmen.  
Tom was the one to walk down the aisle, his undershirt a blue color while his suit was black with a blue sheen. It seemed Tord went with the same theme but in red. Tom had left his visor off for today since it clashed terribly with his suit. His sister walked him down the aisle. Blossoms blew freely off the trees in the wind, pinkish petals flurrying over the ceremony. Tord looked down the walkway when the music started and something in his gut dropped. Nerves? Since when did Tord get nervous? What was even there to be nervous about?  
Well, some secret assassin could come out of nowhere and get him and then everyone here would watch him die. Or they'd go after Tom and he'd have to live on with the memory of his wedding day being the death day of his favorite person. No, Tord. Don't be ridiculous. This isn't that dumb Disney movie. Paul and Pat are concealed carrying right now. If anything happened, his right-hand men and top generals would be there. Everything was fine.  
Tord decided to focus on Tom walking down the aisle. Tom looked... beautiful. He smiled a bit as he recalled a time when he would rather have died before thinking of Tom as beautiful. People really do change.  
Tom had almost stepped on his sister's foot twice while walking, once Tord was in sight. He really filled that suit nicely. Tom's mind wandered a little before he was up at the altar.  
The officiant began reciting his sermon about love and living together after Tord took Tom's hands. Tom gave a small squeeze after feeling how clammy Tord's hands had gotten and offered an encouraging smile.  
Tom felt his heart in his throat by the time the officiant read the "I do's." When he finally said "I now pronounce you man and groom," Tom nearly leaped into Tord's arms. Tord had the exact same thought, so he was ready to catch him, hugging tightly around his waist with one hand as the other cupped Tom's cheek.  
The reception was nice and peaceful. Tord's brothers had come over and picked on Tom a little when they took him to dance in place of parents, but it wasn't anything he couldn't handle. They both knew about Tord's plans for world domination and when they learned the Red Leader was marrying his bodyguard, they lost it (in an entertaining way!) They were pretty much the opposite of Tord yet the exact same in a way. Very dudebro-esk, but still pretty straightforward and charismatic.  
Tord had taken a dance with his new sister-in-law. She made it very clear to Tord that if he hurt her brother, he'd pay dearly. She didn't care about his authority status. He liked her. She was a good person to stick with Tom in the mess he'd missed when Tom came out to his family.  
Edd took the next dance with Tom, taking the time to apologize for everything again before Matt did the same after while Edd then moved on to Tord. Tom wondered why they couldn't have just talked to him. Why did they have to dance for it too? Oh well. Tom and Tord got together for another dance, a smile on both of their faces. Tord spoke softly to Tom under the music, "You aren't going to have second thoughts about this, are you?"  
Tom laughed a little, "Of course not. Haven't gotten any sense knocked into me yet, have I?"  
Tord chuckled and pressed his forehead to Tom's, "Cheeky little shit."  
"You love me anyway though," Tom smirked.  
"Perhaps I do."  
"Aw, cmon! Say you love me! We just got married for fuck's sake!" Tom playfully whined.  
Tord rolled his eyes in an amused manner, "Fine fine fine. I love you, Jehovah."  
"I love you too, Sunshine."


End file.
